Power-setting mechanism for sawmills



July 7, 1925.

1,544,584 A B. IRELAND ET AL POWER SETTING MECHANISM FOR SAWMILLS Filed March 27, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 E QN NN w gi Yr \\r n* ijijiji- Zigi J Q \5 y. I s

f @a Y r Q a *O W N QQ 3N rl N INVENTORS ATT RNE Y July 7, 1925. 1,544.58'4

' A B. IRELAND ET AL POWER SETTING MECHANISM FOR SAWMILLS Filed MaPGh 27, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNE YS July 7, 1925. 1,544,584

A B. IRELAND ET AL POWER SETTING MBCHANISM FOR SAWMILLS Filed March 27, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 @M3/M ORS W5 A TTORN the usual hand setting mechanism-for Yset.-VA

ting the knees comprising a ratchetwheel 58 attached to the shaft 50. AV lever 60 'forked at its lower end to embrace .the-= ratchet Wheel 58 is arranged to turn freely" on the shaft 50 and carries between'the sides of its forked lower end a series of pawls 62 varying slightly inlength to providefor fine adjustment. The lever 60 is provided at its upper end with a long flexible extension 64 which comes Within convenient reach of the Sawyer for operating the lever60.

The power rsetting mechanism ,to which the present invention is ,particularly directed comprises, upon the log,carriage,.means extending ,substantially throughout Ithe lengthv of the carriagel for establishing an operating connection betweenv the knee l:advancing and receding mechanismandfpower driven means located in theI path of move ment of the carriage. The illustrated means comprises a sprocket chain 66 traveling'over l an idler sprocket 68 at the forward end gof the carriage and serving-todrivel a second sprocket 70 attached .to a cross? shaft 72` carrying a bevelled pinion74- meshing with sprocket wheels 7 8 and..,80.being mounted gre,

spectively upon" short shafts 82 alnd84 .hav-

ing their bearings in 'brackets5f90- and192.,

carried upon the longitudinal timbers 94. ,and

964 of the power vsettingfattachrrlent for the sawmill.

VThe sprockets 78 and-.8 ,have attached thereto, respectively,-=the maleylmembeISi-QS l, and of f-rictionfclutchesythefemale-g Vmembers 102-and 104 ofwhich'arerepectively carried'by gears 106 .and108zfwhich't mesh with each other, thefge'an 108 Abeing herein shown as driven by aEpiniOn-Jil() `on the shaft 'lwhi'ch pulley 14.

The illustrated driving connectiongisthat used for the illustrated left v,handinill For a right hand milk-the pinion-.wouldbe-:arrangedto mesh withthe fgear ...106i

and 80 are maintained in 'alinementswith the path of travel of the chain 66 and,,there fore, to effect the clutching of either sprocket to its associated gear, the gears are-pref erably arranged to slideralongfthe:shaft to bring their associatedclutch members into".y

engagement with the corresponding` clutch members of the sprockets. The illustrated `carries (the diyiving ally. throwing Vthepawlss means for effecting such movement of either pf rffeqft, clutching :eto the ass'c'ia. d liet co prise foot operated `levers 112 and 114 having pedal portions 116I c andl "'118! l extending into convenient reach ovftheoperator, these levers, as shown in'FigI oftheldrawings, being fulcrumed in supportsdepending from the bracket 90, the "levers 112 'and 114 being respectively provided Withbellcrank arms 120 and 122 extending upWa-igdly tliexzefrom and provided with bearings Aforfth'e fulcrum pins 124 and 126 carriedby thebracket 90 as shown in Fig 6.oftheldrawings. As also shown in Fig.j 6 ofthe-drawings, the upper ends of the bellcrainkarrns 120 and 122 are forked and roundedtoimove freely in the side -grooves lofjsfhiftercollars128'and 129 embracingllanges: 13,0.:.and-Al31 on the hubs of s the respective gears .nd 10,8.l Springs 182g CQIlIleQted itof; ,the- Ijeksipective bellcrank jarms120.I and-Q122fandi to la cross F.0d 1134 tend i to rolitheilever into ytheposititm .shown in 5 ofctl i Allavving in which `the cl'uteheslaae disengaged. A l

From rthe,foregoing., description it. Willr be seen thatA when either/of the gears 106 and r1,08 is movedinto clutchingjengagement with the associated sprpcketWheel, that one ofthe .rsprocket .wheels i'thus clutched lto Ithe l'power driven gear,- wllgseYe-fd drive the, Sprocket chain 64 carried bythe carriag'e 18 andl thus,

ever-f from-,ani insptienref Fig? "4f '0f the drawings, thatfif the .power operated mechavn ism be so connected to the sprocket chain 64 as, i to bendito; rotate. a thegsha'ft '5014111v the reverse direction, that is,- 4-in the. direction to withdraw theqknees 42 `from their. ad-

;vanced l positiolnethe pawls 62 on the t lever 6Q.f1,w0ul l :prevent .such rotation.

PIYOvSio-Ir is :therefore r de f =for .automaticment with the teeth of the llagtcliiet ivvli'eel58 ,when it is v,desired to operate the l.power setting mechanismI to :cause kneesy :to recede from their advanced position. The illustratged means fory throwing .the pawls 62'into 62 in position 'to lift'these pawls when said lever 136 is rocked upon its fulcrum,4 the leverrl having a--tai'l'138-.locatedbeneath` 140 l fulcnumed on I the carriage, leven .140

a ilaterally extending-armen -asecond lever 142 to aba-rlttextending lengthwise of the carriage' and so supported on'parallel klinks that whenengaged at any rpoint throughout its lengthiind ilifted; the llifting movement responding ldepression will `the samethreu-ghout the extent of the bar.

Y' To effect alifting f of the-bar-and a cortheflever186-and1 fthewesulting-v disengagement ofethe pawls i62- from the ratchetfwheel 58, the foot lever 114, which servestocefiect the clutching-of the gear108.to.the1sprocket 80 for effecting the recedingmonement of the knees, is provided with an extension 146 i behind'thebellcranki and atfits end this eX- tension vrcari-ies averticailislide 148 having at its upper end a roll 150 adapted when raised by the depression of the forward end of the lever 111 to engage the under side of the bar L11 and through the link 142 and lever 11n effect the rocking of the lever 136 to diseir gage the pawls From the foregoing descripl ion` the operation of the device will readily be understood` ll'hen the log has been located upon the carriage and held in position by engagement o f the dogs 52 therewith, the knees 42 being in their rearward position, the sawyer, by depressing the pedal 11G on the lever 112 slightly, may cause the log to be advanced the proper distance for the first slab. He may, of course, if he desires, effect part of the setting by power and a part by hand. The first slab having been cut, if the sawyer desires to turn the log to bring its flat face against the knees, he may depress the. other pedal 118 on the lever 114 to cause the knees to move backward on the carriage with the dogs still in engagement with the log, which will result in the log being partly rolled over on the carriage before the dogs disengage. The sawyer may then complete the turning of the log by hand and then by pressure on the pedal 116 again advance the log into position to saw the next slab. After cutting the second slab, the log may be rolled to its first flat side by simply depressing the pedal 118 while the dogs are still in engagement with the log, after which the sa wing may be continued until the heart of the tree has been sawed away, when the log is usually rolled half over for final sawing.

After the tail Sawyer has pulled the last board or plank from the carriage and the carriage is returning, the sawyer, by simply impressing the pedal 118, may cause the knees to recede snliciently to receive the next log as soon as the carriage is brought to rest.

From the foregoing description it will be of therearcnd 138 of f v`seen thatcthe'mnchine is "designed noti only .to. supplement a hand. leveriin setting, but

.naloneftol do..-thercoarser settingy for planks,

1-timbers,.\rvails,f etc, operating rfor* Athis vpurpose much 4'faster anndanoneeasilyithan auch.

setting canbe done by hand. `.ll/.Lareover, as .above-shown, the devine isiuseful in, helping lthe Sawyer to .rollthealogs oiiathe carriage. and is.partcularly.usefull in effect-ing the .1re-ceding movement of thelmees, without-loss of `time, while'thecarriage is returning to position toreceinethe new log.

An important liadvanftmge.: of this .device over devicesl of the; prior artis its. capability of use Yfor aligningthelogsand setting. them Vforithesawing of lumber whileithe carriage is;y at restfnSuch settingcan, only `properly be. done when thecarrage is; atrest.

The possibility of using both the hand sett-.ingndevice andtl1epower setting .device is also important in that, for example, when sawing boards of uniform thickness, for example, boards ot' one inch thickness or near that dimension, it is customary, after tirst slabbing the log to square it, to provide a stop for the hand lever at the appropriate dimensionr` which permits the use of the hand lever for effecting such setting while the carriage is returning, this short setting movement being most easily and accurately effected by hand.

lVhat we claim is:

1. In power setting mechanism for sawmills, vthe combination with the log carriage, the knees thereon, and the mechanism on said carriage for effecting the advancing and receding movements of said knees, of power driven means not normally connected to or carried by said carriage, and means under the control of the operator for effecting a connection between said power driven means and the knee operating mechanism on said carriage, said connections comprising normally stationary friction clutch members located at points in the path of movement of said carriage and arranged to olnwrativclyY engage the carriage mechanism as it passes thereover, and interconnected oppositcly driven friction clutch members selectively engageable respectively with said first inentioned clutch members whereby the advancing or receding movements of said knees may be effected, at the will of the operator, by power.

In power setting mechanism for sawmills, the combination with a log carriage, the knees thereon and mechanism for effecting the advancing and receding movements of said knees, of a sprocket chain extending lengthwise of said carriage and arranged to drive said mechanism, two sprocket wheels located at points in the path of movement of said carriage and adapted to engage said chain, oppositel;Y rotating power driven means arranged to be frictionally connected tin Inn

to the respective sprocket wheels to cause one or the other of said wheels to drive said chain in one. or the other direction, and means under the control of the operator for selectively effecting such connection.

3. In power setting mechanism for sawmills, the combination with a log carriage, the knees thereon and means carried by said carriage for effecting;r the movement of said knees comprising pawl and ratchet mechanism and a lever for moving' the pawls, of' power driven means not normally connected lo the carriage and means under control of the operator for connecting said power driven means to the knee operating mechanism of the carriage to operate said mechanism by power, comprising means for simultaneously disengaging said pawls from said ratchet.

4. In power setting mechanism for sawmills, the combination with the log carriage, the knees thereon and mechanism on said carriage for effecting ythe advancing and receding movements of said knees, of power driven means not normally connected to or carried by said carriage, means under the control of the operator for selectively effecting,` a connection between said power driven means and said mechanism to effect by power the advancing or the receding movement of said knees, and means for effecting such movements manually, said means being` arranged to be simultaneously disengaged when one of said power connections is effected.

Signed at Norwich, N. Y., of March 1,923.

A BERTSELL IRELAND. FRAN K L.l IRELAND.

this 21st day ill) 

